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Showing posts from May, 2025

News Analysis: What Happens When ICE Comes to Enfield?

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  Freshwater Pond, Enfield CT Concern is high, generally, about what happens when ICE makes a concerted push in our community. Would we see something similar to Minnesota? That operation involved a saturation surge -- of more than 2,000 agents into the Twin Cities -- that overwhelmed local police capability. The question becomes do all communities face a similar risk, especially from agents that don't seem well-trained in de-escalation techniques. Enfield is too small of a town to get a massive ICE response. But it is the practice of ICE to operate independently from local police departments, which creates its own set of risks. Connecticut has a law, the Connecticut Trust Act, that sets some restrictions on what local police can do to help federal immigration enforcement. The Trust Act explicitly forbids local police from assisting federal agents unless specific serious criteria are met. But does the Trust Act protect residents, or does it just keep local police from helping in ce...
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Enfield Can’t Outsource Its Conscience

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  Community Conversation forum May 7 2025 Sometimes you have to explain yourself. At the Community Conversations last night, I was slightly angry when speaking about the waste outsourcing issue—especially when I demanded the release of the  consulting report. That was rude of me, and I felt bad afterward. Still, my anger over outsourcing comes from years of experience. I don’t fault the Council Republicans or Mayor Ken Nelson, who received my quiet anger, for investigating outsourcing. It’s the government's job to explore options. Many towns outsource; many reject it. But if this town thinks residents will approve it in a referendum, they’re not reading the room. Anyone who’s worked for a sizable company likely knows someone affected by outsourcing. Few speak well of it. As a former tech reporter at Computerworld and Informa TechTarget, I covered IT management, which often meant reporting on outsourcing. Companies rarely wanted to talk. My job was to find the IT workers losing...
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Location: Enfield, CT 06082, USA
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Enfield Property Taxes Could Rise About 3% Under New Budget

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Town Council budget workshop May 6 Residential property taxes for Enfield residents are projected to rise by approximately 3% under the current town budget proposal. This figure emerged during a wide-ranging, and sometimes contentious budget workshop Tuesday with school board officials. Council members discussed topics ranging from school discipline issues to the possibility of running school buses in-house. This was the final budget workshop.  Following lengthy meeting, council members settled on a budget that raises the mill rate from 30.56 to 31.50—an increase of 0.94 mills. This could still change before final budget adoption.  The Board of Education budget will increase by 4%, less than the 5.57% or $4.3 million increase initially sought. The board had requested that increase to reduce class sizes, restore positions cut last year, and meet other pressing needs.  Council Democrats supported fully funding the school board’s request. Mayor Ken Nelson argued that the ap...
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Location: Enfield, CT 06082, USA
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Enfield Republicans Own the Budget — and the Tough Choices Ahead

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Enfield Public Schools staffing levels fluctuated significantly over the past decade, peaking at 1,030 Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) positions in 2023-24 before dropping to 823 FTE in the current school year, according to data presented at the April 28 2025 public hearing on the town budget. The increases in the 2021 through 2024 were related to COVID funding; the decrease followed a major cut last year to the board's budget. The school department is seeking a staff increase to 857 next year. Many of these staff increases are designed to lower class sizes. (School board slide) E nfield’s next budget will decide more than tax rates. It will tell us how much the town is willing to invest in its schools and maintain public services. It's impossible to minimize the budget problem facing the Town Council. It's being squeezed by flat revenues and rising costs. This budget is almost certain to deliver a tax hike to residents unless the council does some reckless things.  The town f...
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Location: Enfield, CT 06082, USA
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